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Cass Supervisors approve 1 pay raise, deny 2 others

June 30th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Board of Supervisor’s today (Thursday) approved a wage adjustment for one county department assistant and denied raises to two others. The board approved a request proposed in December by County Attorney Dan Feistner, for Assistant Stacey Platt. Platt has been with his office for nearly three-years.

Monies for her wage increase will come from the Delinquent Fines and Fees account, and will not affect his budget or what the tax payers contribute to her salary. Her pay will increase $260 per pay period.

The board denied a request by General Assistance/Mental Health Coordinator Teresa Kanning, for wage adjustments to the salaries of her assistants Debbie Schuler and Vicki Adams. If approved, Schuler’s pay would have increased $102 per pay period, while Adams’ would have increased slightly more than $196 per pay period.

Supervisor Chuck Kinen said he was opposed to the wage adjustment because the board had already approved a two-percent across the board increase earlier in the year, and because the board had agreed not to provide middle of the year increases in salaries.

Kanning told Kinen the issue was discussed during a budget work session, and she was instructed to present her proposal at the beginning of the Fiscal year. Kinen said the increases are “completely out of line.” Kanning said the increase would have brought her staff up to the same rate of pay as others who perform similar tasks in the courthouse are receiving.

Kanning said she has approached the board many times over the past few years asking for an increase in her assistant’s pay, especially for Schuler, who was required to have, and does hold, a college degree. Schuler has worked for Kanning for the past seven-years.

Kinen said people should be more concerned about having a job than how much they are going to make, to which Kanning replied neither of her assistants were aware she was making the request on their behalf. Because a motion to approved the wage increase for Adams died for lack of a second, Kanning left the Board room. The supervisors then failed to approve an increase for Schuler when there was no second to the motion.

Supervisor Mark Wedemeyer said the board should make note of the pay requests and have them equalized by January 1st. Kinen said later, it doesn’t make sense for the assistants to be paid more than their director, in any department.